The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-04-23


scious child of God. But these lessons
come to it to make it in its freedom,
and do thus make it. The character is
changed, and with changed character,
a mans habits are changed, and the |
evils of wrong education annulled.
The nature of man is never at fault.
God has determined his nature, and
man cannot unmake it. Beneath what
ever character a man may make for
himself is one nature which is essen
italy good, and that not only accords
with the accomplishment of the ulti-
mate purpose of God, but it furnishes
the power of calamity in the wicked
character. Wickedness being out of
harmony with the nature of man, brings
the punishment in the soul. If mans
nature were essentially evil, he would
not, could not suffer remorse, because
wrong doing would be in harmony with
his nature. But every man has nat
ure allied to God. 1t may sleep in
many instances in the dust of worldli-
ness. The light and warmth of the
over-purpose of God does not reach or
rouse it readily. But the capability of
response to the divine influence is as
surely in man as the power of germina-
ton and growth in response to light is
in the little seed put in the ground in
the springtima. The appeal of light
and its disposition to answer the light,
with an obstacle between it and the
light, bring calamity to the plant.
And so it is the appeal of the light of
God about the soul, and the relation of
the soul to that light, and the uprising
of the soul in its calmest, best mo-
ments to meet the light, that huTls it
against the objects of sin it has drawn
in its way. The remorse that comes
to the soul can only have its signif-
canoe in the righteous purpose Of God
and the righteous capability of man,
and holds the prophecy of its own fitful-
ness and end, and dissolves as the
cloud becomes rain and falls to the
earth to water it and make it fruitful,
for of the earth it came, and to the
earth returns. OF righteous capability
remorse came and to it contributes
again.
Where prison discipline has failed to
reform, when made severe, and an ap-
peal rather to the brutality of the GRIM
inal, the failure, we may say, in every
case, has been in the discipline, and
has not resided in the nature of man.
We know some are prone to think there
are those too depraved to reach aud re-
form. But it cannot be. For what
ever the nature of man is, we must in
sist man can never unmake by his &C.
ton. We will confess that the nature
of man is subtle, hidden thing. 1t is
in the man like the flower in little
seed. 1t is not manifest. We can de-
pend upon it for response in proper
appeals to it. But no mau can depend
upon it simply for good things in life
and experience. Because he has good
nature, man must not think he can
sin and do wickedly, and his good nat
ure will bring him good experiences,
happiness, joy. 1t will not. 1t is only
the hidden capacity of good experien-
ences, and over it wicked character,
by wicked words and works, will bring
it evil, bitter experiences; good char
acter will bring happiness, and will
be as the flower unfolding from the
seed. But in every case, Irepeat, there is
the capability of good in man, to which
the reformer may successfully appeal,
and the failure to reform criminals has
been mostly from lack of appeal to the
good capability in the appointments of
prison discipline. A number of years
ago man in Troy, N. Y, was impris-
oned one hundred and sixty-eight times
for drunkenness. The punishment did
not reform him. And it was not be-
cause he was too depraved to be re-
formed, for by kindness and affection
ate persuasion the Neutrality-suspicious. re-
claimed him from his wrong, and he
became sober and industrious man, a
good citizen, husband and father.
Man everywhere in the wide world,
or in the wide universe, has one capa-
BILE, spiritual nature-not manifest in
all, but capable in all. 1t looks toward
righteousness of life. And it is the
assurance of the one supreme power,
omnipresent, making for righteousness.
l read in yesterdays daily of the action
of the Chinese government in taking
Christianity under its protection. 1t
was said that "the prosecutions to
which Christian missionaries have been
from time to time subjected, have arisen,
for the most part from political causes,
and have frequently been provoked by
the injudicious acts of the missionaries
themselves" But now the government
has better impression of Christianity,
and in all the provinces has issued proc
lamations requiring the people to live
in peace with the Christian mission
aries and converts; the government ex-
plains to the people that he Christian
teaches men to do right, and